Fossil fuels have been the primary energy source for society since the Industrial Revolution. They provide the raw material for the manufacture of many everyday products that we take for granted, including pharmaceuticals, food and drink, materials, plastics and personal care.
As the 21st century progresses we need solutions for the manufacture of chemicals that are smarter, more predictable and more sustainable.
Industrial biotechnology is changing how we manufacture chemicals and materials, as well as providing us with a source of renewable energy. It is at the core of sustainable manufacturing processes and an attractive alternative to traditional manufacturing technologies to commercially advance and transform priority industrial sectors yielding more and more viable solutions for our environment in the form of new chemicals, new materials and bioenergy.
This course will cover the key enabling technologies that underpin biotechnology research including enzyme discovery and engineering, systems and synthetic biology and biochemical and process engineering. Much of this material will be delivered through lectures to ensure that you have a solid foundation in these key areas. We will also consider the wider issues involved in sustainable manufacturing including responsible research innovation and bioethics.
In the second part of the course we will look at how these technologies translate into real world applications which benefit society and impact our everyday lives. This will include input from our industry stakeholders and collaborators working in the pharmaceutical, chemicals and biofuels industries.
By the end of this course you will be able to:
1. Understand enzymatic function and catalysis.
2. Explain the technologies and methodologies underpinning systems and synthetic biology.
3. Explain the diversity of synthetic biology application and discuss the different ethical and regulatory/governance challenges involved in this research.
4. Understand the principles and role of bioprocessing and biochemical engineering in industrial biotechnology.
5. Have an informed discussion of the key enabling technologies underpinning research in industrial biotechnology
6. Give examples of industrial biotechnology products and processes and their application in healthcare, agriculture, fine chemicals, energy and the environment.

From the lesson

Case Studies: Glycoscience and Biotherapeutics

Glycoscience is the science and technology of carbohydrates, which are the most abundant biological molecules on Earth and make up part of the biology of all living organisms. This module will introduce the fundamental concepts of glycoscience, leading onto the benefits for society and how this drives and impacts the bioeconomy. A series of case studies will be used to present some of the key challenges and glycan-based solutions in pharmaceuticals and personalised medicine, food security and biomaterials.
Biopharmaceuticals are new medicines that are made biologically. “Biologically” means that the production is too complex for simple chemistry and that we currently have to direct biological materials – cells, using the spectrum of natural catalytic reactions - to make these revolutionary medicines. We will be looking at the revolution in these development medicines within a clinical, societal and economic context and the approaches used to ensure production of safe and effective biopharmaceuticals, using various types of expression systems. Students will be introduced to detailed case studies that illustrate how the principles developed in other sub-modules are put into practice in the industrial context.